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Thursday, September 15, 2011

Uppåkra - Swedish Potato Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There are certain foods that trigger memory and take from it the sights and sounds and smells of childhood and them drop them in the moment we call now. They are called comfort foods for a reason and one of my favorites is Uppåkra, or Swedish potato cookies. These are shatteringly crisp gems that are made with butter, potato starch and very little else. They have brown edges and, when properly made, will literally melt in your mouth. The potato starch gives them a slightly sandy texture that I find irresistible. I don't make them often because self-disciple eludes me and I can't limit myself to eating just one or two. I learned to make these in the Swedish kitchen of my childhood. While my teacher was patient in the extreme, the truth is this cookie is very simple to make. The challenge comes with shaping them and over the years I've changed the way I do it. While the recipe I am sharing today uses what I call a roll and press technique, I find it much easier to form this butter rich dough into a cylinder that can be cut to the desired thickness once it is chilled. A quarter of an inch is just about right. This is an adult cookie that is perfect with afternoon coffee or tea. It's not particularly pretty to look at, but it is truly delicious. While there are scores of recipes for Uppåkra, I hope you'll give this one a try. It's my favorite and makes cookies that will make your socks go up and down.

Directions:
1) Cream together butter and sugar in a mixer or with a pastry blender. Beat in salt, egg and vanilla and almond extract. Sift together flour and potato starch, then add slowly to butter mixture and beat until combined. Chill dough for about an hour.
2) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3) Roll into small balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Press each ball gently with bottom of a glass to flatten to a thickness of 1/4-inch . Place 1 inch apart on prepared pans. Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are brown. Yield: 36 cookies.

Oh my gosh, Mary, I didn't even need a picture to know what these wondrous cookies you described taste like. I'm guessing heaven. I just happened to make a mental note that my local store had started to stock potato starch -- I must have been psychic.

Holy Schmoly Mary! I don't know how you found my blog but WOW! I'm the lucky one here! I'm your newest follower and know that I'll enjoy every mouth-watering word you write! Have a fun weekend - and I'm so looking forward to being friends with you!Denalee

Now that is my kind of cookie! I've never heard of these but they sound divine! I'll have to whip up a batch soon. Isn't funny how food and music can take you on such wonderful journeys to your past? Thanks for sharing your history with us.

I spent several years in California surrounded by amazing Swedish cooks who churned out dozens of delicious cookies. I love them all and these look and sound just perfect with a cup of strong coffee. :-)

Mary, do you use unsalted butter for this? I see there is added salt in the ingredient list, so I'm assuming you probably use unsalted butter. I wouldn't want to end up making overly salted cookies. I was looking for something different to make this year for Christmas, and this recipe just sounds right!

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